Sextant sights without a telescope

Apr 14, 2008

Greg Rudzinski

To the editor: The celestial navigator’s best friend aboard a small craft may very well be the sight tube.

A sight tube used together with a whole horizon mirror provides the sextant with an incredible field of view and minimizes celestial body movement. The navigator now has the ability to quickly set a stubborn sun on the horizon in rough seas or to capture a sun line from a momentary glimpse through an overcast sky.

An old scope beyond repair can serve as a sight tube if the lenses are removed. There are after-market sight tubes available for most sextants at a reasonable cost as well. Why not include one in your sextant box?